Angels Will Fall
by D.B. Cooper
Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story, in it Sheila falls completely to evil.
1. Separation

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil. You should probably be warned that it is extremely graphic. It is definitely rated M for Mature.

Author's Notes:

a) Originally, a fan fiction writer, named C. Bell, wrote a one-shot story called _Angels Will Fall_. Then she took it down and posted a message here at the fan fiction website that she no longer writes. I contacted her to get permission to use her title and the idea, and she said yes! I'm using part of the original story as well.

b) I rewrote the first chapter, thus making it three chapters. It was missing some stuff, so I added a lot to it. If you already read it, please take your time to read the first chapter again before you read chapter two.

Disclaimer: I don't own the _Dungeons and Dragons_ cartoon. All characters and events depicted herein are used without permission.

Thanks: Thanks to my beta-reader Rana Kane. Not only is she a really nice person, but she is my friend, too. (If you have never been to her website – Rana's Realm Lore - visit it - It's pretty cool!) I would also like to thank C. Bell for giving me the idea. Bubbles Hentai's story, _The Choice,_ was also a really big influence. I originally read _The Choice_ at Dark Haven. Currently, Dark Haven is down, but if anyone wants to read the story, message me, and I'll send it to you. Oh, and I really liked _Fade To Black_ by Wandz!

Angels Will Fall

By 

D.B. Cooper

Preface

There are some things that cannot be forgiven. Betrayal by friends has lead many to a fall. Mankind's history is one long path of it.

The worst betrayal is betrayal of the heart. It can be neither forgotten, nor forgiven. One tends to answer such with vengeance. But at what cost? Vengeance consumes the heart, eats away at the soul. What is left, then? This is the story of one such betrayal and it's consequences. . . .

Chapter One

Separation

It was raining heavily as Sheila turned and walked away from the others. Already she was drenched head to foot. Water swam from her hair, and her cheeks were red from crying and yelling. A tiny voice within her insisted this was not happening. But it was.

An overwhelming anguish coursed through her as the rain pelted her. It felt as though she would never again ever feel any other emotion — nothing but pain and heartache. It was like an arrow piercing Sheila's heart — a fiery, golden thing. It seemed to shed not her blood, but a rage that overshadowed all other emotions. Whether in weakness or in strength, it was this that allowed her to make a choice she could never have imagined mere hours ago — she resolved to leave.

In her heart, Sheila knew that she would never see her friends again. However, she didn't have a choice. In the mind-numbing pain of heartbreak, of ultimate betrayal, it had been the only choice. To be alone. . . . It had always been her greatest fear — to be separated from her friends. Now she went willingly. She had to leave them. She had to go and she had to do it right now.

Sheila could feel them staring at her as she left. She could see that they were just as stunned as she was and too shocked to react. She was going, just like that.

Tears ran down her face as she walked, the heat of her tears a staunch contrast to the cold rain. Her mind was numb, but one thing she knew was that she was no longer friends with any of them. Even her brother. There was nothing left to say, nothing left for her with them. Uni bleated pitifully as she left, but Sheila ignored her as the village faded behind her.

_Why? I thought you loved me. How could you!_ _Why did this have to happen? _It hurt so much.

They had been together for nearly a year. She had thought he was close to marrying her. It had happened the night before in one of the many nameless towns they passed through. They had gone to a tavern — an inn, really. Sheila hadn't been feeling well after a few drinks and had gone up to the room she was sharing with Diana. The next day, she had looked at Hank and known. Afterwards, she had wept bitterly for hours.

Sheila had seen that the blond serving-wench had been interested in Hank when they first arrived, but she had ignored it. After all, Hank was with her, wasn't he? Surely, he wouldn't do that. He had told her that he loved her, and she believed him. And she had told him that she loved him. Their love for each other had been pure and right. They would spend the rest of their lives together, either at home or here in the Realm. Or so she had thought.

Eric had let it slip. Sheila had looked at Hank and just known automatically by the way he looked at her. What he had done was in his face and his eyes. It was _betrayal_. Pure and simple. There was no other word for it. It had begun then.

The worse part had been Diana's reaction. She had simply stayed inside, out of the rain with Presto. They hadn't come out to even try to talk to her. It was as if they weren't even remotely involved. There was no apology or flimsy rationalization for it.

Hank had tried to apologize to her, claiming that it was an accident. "I had too much to drink, and it just happened, Sheila. It wasn't about you or us. She came onto me, and it just happened. I didn't mean for this to happen. I swear to you, to God, that I love you. Please, please forgive me. I slipped, that was all."

Sheila had turned away when he spoke, but now she stared back at him, incredulously, before finally yelling in a tearful voice, "Your being drunk is no excuse! What you did was wrong! It didn't just happen, and you can't make it right with an apology and you know it!" She hadn't been able to control the tears anymore. Her throat was tightening. It took an effort to even breathe. Acknowledging it, saying those things aloud had made it all too real. It was over.

Dimly, she realized that Hank was talking to her. "Don't," she had said. "Just don't." She backed up a step. "I just can't, Hank. I . . . can't. . . . Ever." Sorrow and ache flooded her being until it felt as if she would never be able to feel anything else.

"Sheila, please," he had begged through his own tears. "Don't leave me. Don't leave us. Please. I love you."

Sheila just stared back at him. Then Eric had butted in. "No big deal," he said. "You'll just be mad at him for a few days, and then you'll get over it."

"Jeez, sis, what's the problem? I mean it isn't like Hank really did anything to you on purpose." Sheila knew that her brother was just a little boy and didn't understand. Still though, the pain of his reaction had been overwhelming.

That had done it. That was when her mind had been made up. They were all gone from her life. As simple as that, she could no longer be with them. Even if they could return home, she still wouldn't go back with them.


	2. Fall

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil. You should probably be warned that it is extremely graphic. It is definitely rated M for Mature.

Author's Notes:

a) Originally a fan fiction writer named C. Bell wrote a one-shot story called _Angels Will Fall_. Then she took it down and posted a message here at the fan fiction website that she no longer writes. I contacted her to get permission to use her title and the idea, and she said yes! I'm using part of the original story as well.

b) This is chapter two. Originally, it was a part of chapter one. It was missing some stuff so I added a lot to it. Please re-read the first chapter before you read this one.

Disclaimer: The Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon doesn't belong to me. I'm just a guy who writes fan fiction for it.

Thanks: Thanks to my beta-reader Rana Kane. She really helped me with this. I appreciate it. A lot.

Angels Will Fall

By

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Two

Fall

Though drenched from head to foot and legs aching, Sheila refused to stop. Stopping meant having to think about Hank's betrayal. She could barely see where she was going through the heavy rain, but she didn't care. It didn't matter; she would put as much distance as she could between herself and those she once called her friends — and one she had foolishly called her boyfriend.

Without warning, the rain stopped. Sheila looked around her and saw that it was raining just a few feet away. When she turned back, Dungeon Master was there in front of her. Sheila looked at him, anger radiating from her face and water running from her hair and clothes. After what seemed an age, he began.

"Sheila," he said, with sadness in his voice. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running away. From them and from you. I can't be like this anymore. I can't be with them. I loved Hank and he -" Sheila paused for a second and swallowed. Then all the anger welled up inside of her and came out, "He cheated on me! He betrayed me, and my friends, they didn't stand up for me."

"You have to go back to them. You are together with them in the Realm. It is their friendship and support which keeps you whole. I am your guide here, and I would not be your guide if I did not tell you this. You have to go back to them right now. If you don't. . . ."

"Hank told me that he loved me and he didn't. I'm not going back to him. Not now and not ever. My friends are dead to me." Sheila stared back at Dungeon Master, daring him to contradict her.

Dungeon Master continued as if uninterrupted. "If you don't go back to them, you will fall to evil. A very, very dark path will be your destiny. Is that what you want? Venger will come for you when he hears that you are alone. Do you wish to serve him?"

Sheila looked at him, considering his words. To fall? To go down a dark path? To serve Venger? The thought played strangely through her head. Her friends had rejected her, but she didn't wish to be with him. She wasn't evil, nor did she want to be. She couldn't imagine being in league with Venger. "If I go back to them, will you return us home? Back to our world? I'll go back to them if you do."

"No, Sheila, I can't do that. You are needed here in the Realm, to fight against Venger and his evil."

"Then the answer is no." With that, Sheila turned and walked away. It started to rain again the moment she did.

After a full day's travel, she came to a village they had been to before. It was rundown and it had no name that she knew of. Sheila went to see a girl she had befriended there. She made a few inquires, and she found her.

Sheila followed Michelle into an inn. There they crouched by the fire. Sheila felt herself began to warm. However, it was like something inside of her was still so cold. Like she would never be warm again.

"My boyfriend, Hank the Ranger, the one with the bow. He, he . . . ," Sheila began.

"It's okay," the girl whose name was Michelle said. "You don't have to explain it to me. I'm not sure what I can do for you, but I will help you if I can. You can stay in my room tonight." Michelle gave her food and a place to sleep on the floor in her room.

The next day, and after a few tries, Michelle found Sheila work in a shop. Not much, just cleaning the floors and stocking the shelves. It didn't pay, but it would at least give her food and a place to sleep. Sheila thought that it would work, at least until she sorted through what had happened.

The owner's name was Devon and he was friendly to her at first. Too friendly. After a while, the way he had looked at her had made her skin crawl. Sheila tried to pay it no mind and didn't talk to him much. She was still in a world of her own because of Hank's betrayal. Not to mention the others reaction. She wasn't going to go back to them. That much was already decided.

The first two days went by in a hazy mist. Sheila cleaned everything in the store. It gave her something to do while her mind rolled over what had happened. She just couldn't come to terms with it. _It's like a toothache_, she decided after a while. She had had one when she was seven and it had hurt for days on and on. Just like this. Pain, that's what it was. It dominated her being. At one point, Sheila sat in the alley behind the little store and cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She didn't try to talk to anybody about it. She ate food, but did not taste it. Later, she couldn't have said if the food had been good or bad or even what it was. Michelle came to see her, but Sheila just looked at her. Michelle had tried to talk to her, telling her about the events of her day. It seemed to Sheila as if she were talking through a rain cloud. She couldn't comprehend what the other girl was saying.

On the evening of the third day, Devon offered to dine with her. She accepted, her mind numb, and not able to think about such little things such as food, or the shop she worked in, or Devon himself.

The food was simple fare; wine, cheese, and bread. After dark, they sat together at a small table lit with a single candle.

Sheila drank the wine slowly at first. It seemed to soothe her. Seeing it as an escape, Sheila poured more into her glass and drank greedily. There must be a way to numb her tortured soul. After several more glasses, the room seemed to be spinning a little at first, then more. Then Devon started to touch her. Rubbing her shoulders. It felt good and something in her relaxed for the first time since Hank's betrayal.

Suddenly, she was aware that his right hand was on her breast. It felt good, but she couldn't. Then he tried to kiss her. It made Sheila's mind revolt. Especially because of Hank's cheating on her.

"No," she said and pulled away. He tried to again. Sheila spoke again louder. "No, no, don't touch me like that."

"Come on," Devon said. A wicked grin was on his face. "You can share my bed with me." Then he tried to kiss her again.

Sheila stood and pulled away, making the room sway, "I don't want to Devon. I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't want to!" As she said it she saw the look in his eye. She had seen the same look on an evil-wild dragon once. Just before it had charged.

Devon came at Sheila. He was bigger than she was. In a flash of pain he struck her and had her down on the floor. Once there, he tried to force himself on her.

Sheila lashed out like a wildcat possessed, scratching at his face with her nails and drawing blood. No matter how hard she fought, he had her pinned. She tried as hard as she could to knee him in the crotch but couldn't get enough space.

Even so, Sheila fought on, scratching him as hard as she could. Her one finger gouged him in the eye and he drew back. She got her feet up to his chest and pushed him back as hard as she could. They broke apart. Kicking wildly, Sheila was able to get a few feet further from her attacker.

Then Devon grabbed her legs and held them together. Trying to get away, her left hand rested on the knife that Devon had been using to cut the food. At that same instant Devon pulled Sheila to him. Her hand curled around the knife as he did. Another pull from Devon and they were face to face.

As Devon pressed his lips to hers, she swung as hard as she could, stabbing him deeply in the back. The knife traveled through his chest almost cutting into her before she wrenched it out and stabbed him again. Deep red blood spurted out of the wound covering Sheila's hands. Devon's entire body spasmed and his eyes flew wide in surprise. He opened up his mouth and blood issued from it in a low deep gurgle, splattering her face.

Sheila wrenched the bloody blade from his back, ready to stab him again. She looked into his eyes as he died. She saw the light there and bared her teeth and watched as it faded. Finally, she lay there pinned beneath him; panting, spent, and unable to believe what had just happened.

_Did I just kill him? Yes, I did. He would have raped me if I hadn't. _With great effort, Sheila half-shoved and half-drug herself out from under Devon. When she finally could, she stood swaying for a minute and then spat on his corpse. _You bastard, _she thought_. It serves you right. I would kill you one thousand times more if I had to. I would kill anyone who betrays me. _

Sheila breathed deeply for a few minutes, regaining her composure. When she did, she realized she had to get out of here. First she had to get her cloak. She took three steps toward it when an idea came. _Why go empty-handed?_ She had seen where Devon kept his money. Without another thought she went and got it. Sheila had never stolen money before, but it was easy to do. She was a thief, after all. Besides, after what he had tried to do her, she felt justified.

She went out the back door of Devon's shop. Once in the alley, she threw the hood of her cloak up and disappeared. Sheila stood there looking at the exact spot where she had cried so piteously just two days before. Then she shook her head. She couldn't think about that now. She had to flee.

Sheila surveyed the town from the entrance of the alleyway. It was hard to describe, but the cloak always made darker places look lighter when she had the hood up. She surveyed the village with a practiced eye. Unconsciously, her left hand came up and felt Devon's money through the pouch she always wore under her tunic. There was a lot there. _It'll help me later_, she thought. Seeing no one, she walked calmly out of the village.

Once she was away, she started to walk a little faster. Then a little faster. Everyone in the Realm was like this to her. Everyone had betrayed her, even her now ex-friends. The image seemed to beat in her head. Without noticing it, she started to walk even faster. Michelle had tried to be nice to her, but Hank had . . . and then she was running. She ran on and on. Away from what she had done. She did not know for how long. It must have been for hours. Sheila ran until her vision swam and her body rebelled.


	3. Despair

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil. You should probably be warned that it is extremely graphic. It is definitely rated M for Mature.

Author's Notes: I rewrote the first chapter thus making it three chapters. It was missing some stuff so I added a lot to it. If you already read it, please take your time to read the first two chapters again before you read chapter three.

Disclaimer: I own the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. It is mine. All of it, including the characters. No other fan fiction writers are henceforth allowed to write about it. It's mine, mine, mine, mine!

Ha-Ha. Just kidding! Of course the cartoon isn't mine. Also, all characters and events depicted herein are used without permission. (The lawyers made me do it!)

Thanks: I would like to write a brief note of thanks to my beta-reader, Rana Kane. She has really helped me to improve my writing and this story. Here goes;

Rana: I can't put into words how much you have helped me. Therefore, I won't even try . . . Well, that's about as sentimental as I get.

Angels Will Fall

By

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Three  


Despair

When Sheila finally came to herself again, she was in a forest, still cloaked and invisible. She lay there, motionless, breathing deeply and staring straight ahead. The stars of the Realm glistened above her in all their infinite glory. They were so beautiful, and it tore her soul to see them. When she had first come here, the stars had been strangers. Now they were just like old friends . . .

_I am away from my friends. I am away from all of them. I will never be with them again. Not now, not ever. I am gone from them, forever._ The word "_forever" _rolled through her mind and she savored it. _Forever._ It tasted bitter in her mouth. _Forever_, forever was such a long, long time. She wouldn't ever see them again, would she? _I might as well be dead._

With a jolt, she tore her mind away from the stars and from her friends. Her head seemed clearer, and she reached up and pushed the hood back. She stood, and suddenly the world seemed to spin drunkenly around her. With a start, she realized she was still holding the knife, the one she had used to kill Devon.

Sheila stood there, shivering, taking long deep breaths, staring at the knife in her hand, trying to clear her head. It felt heavy in her hand, and with a sigh, she dropped it. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in through her nose and then out her mouth. Finally, she opened her eyes and saw the puddle lying next to her. It was only then that she realized that she had been vomiting.

It was cold, and she was shivering. The most obvious solution was to build a fire. How? Hank's bow had always started fires for them before. Before he had . . . Sheila shook her head, _I can't think about Hank right now. If I do, it'll destroy me. _

Hadn't Devon had flint and steel? Her fingers reached into her pouch, sorting through the coins she had stolen from him, then she found them at the bottom of the bag. A slim piece of steel and the larger rock of flint.

She gathered wood, first little sticks in a circle with bigger ones off to the side. The wood was wet, but after several strikes of the flint and steel she got a small spark. Before long, a fire was blazing. Sheila fed the larger pieces in as the fire crackled from the wet. Then, she sat back and stared into it.

Absently, her hand went to the knife and she picked it up. Her old life kept trying to come to the surface of her mind as she turned the knife over and over. The blade glinted from the firelight as she did. The anger of Hank's betrayal still coursed through her. It was like the pain had a life of its own. All of her anger seemed to flow down her shoulder, then into her hand before reaching the knife. She thought she could almost feel the knife beat in her hand as though alive. Sheila stared at it as if transfixed. _What am I going to do now?_ The thought flitted through her mind.

She shook her head and tucked the knife into her belt. _I'm so tired. I need to sleep._ She put more wood on the fire to build it up. Then she collapsed beside it, unconscious as soon as her head hit the ground.

Dungeon Master awakened her. It was still dark, and the fire had burned down to hot coals. Sheila eyed their guide in the dim light. _What does he want now?_ After what seemed an age, he began.

"Sheila," he said, with sadness in his voice and demeanor. "What have you done?"

"I did what I had to." Sheila spoke calmly, but her voice spat with venom. "He would have hurt me if I hadn't hurt him. This is what I am now. So what if I killed _him_? It was self defense, wasn't it? He would have raped me if I hadn't. You think I don't feel bad about it?"

"Of course you do, my child. But still, what you have done is wrong."

"At first, I was the Thief, remember? That is what you made me when I first came here. I never wanted to be here. I never wanted to be a thief. Just like I never wanted to kill that man. Do you realize what I've done? I killed that man! This is what the Realm has done to me, what Hank did to me, what my friends did to me, even my brother, even you."

Dungeon Master looked back at her, unblinking in his imperturbable way. "The Ranger made a mistake. That is all. He betrayed you, yes. However, you have to go back to them. There is no other place for you. Three days from here, where the blue lotus blooms, that is where you will find peace of a sort. There will be freedom for you and the others. . . ."

"No riddles, Dungeon Master," Sheila interrupted with pain in her eyes. "There is no place for me here. Not anymore there isn't. I will make my own place here. Without the others and without you. I will do as I please. You never cared about us. If you had, you would have simply returned us home, wouldn't you? One second you're there and the next, you're not. All you ever cared about is the Realm and our place in it. Isn't that what it is all about, Dungeon Master? The balance between good and evil?"

"If you go down this path, you will go to evil. You have started already. Other pupils of mine have fallen over less than the Ranger's betrayal of you. Do you think you are the first to have this happen to you? The first to have had to kill? Life, death, and sex are just a part of the Realm. Even the bravest can fall. Do you remember the knights in armor in Venger's Maze of Agony? They fell to the maze's spell, did they not? They all fought each other before they killed each other. Do you know why that was? Because one of them fell and thus led the others to their deaths."

Sheila looked at him, unsure what to think. A tear rolled down her cheek. Was he telling the truth for once? Without riddles and without something to gain?

"Do you remember Dekkion?" Dungeon Master pressed. When Sheila nodded, he began again. "He was pure once, and he fell from grace. Afterwards, he lay under the curse of The Skeleton Warrior for centuries."

Sheila looked at him. To go back to them? To her friends, to her brother? A part of her wanted to so much. Then the anger rose as if from some dark pit of pain inside her. No! To go back to them after what they had done to her? Never!

"Then I will go to evil. I no longer care what happens to me, if I live or if I die, it doesn't matter to me! Not anymore! Just go away and leave me alone!" With that, Sheila disappeared and ran.

Hours later, after the first two suns rose, she became visible next to a small stream. Her mind rebelled as she realized what she had done. Tears streamed down her face. She would never go home now. What, oh what, was she going to do, now? She no longer loved Hank or the others. Not only that but there was blood on her hands, wasn't there?

Sheila sat there, crying for what seemed an eternity. There was no end to her tears, to her sorrow. There was nothing for her now, except for death. 'I am unhappy here. I have never been happy in the Realm. Everyone has betrayed me and turned against me,' she thought miserably as she scattered the coins she had stolen, one by one, into the stream.

Even worse, I killed Devon. Self-defense or no. I did it. She pulled the knife free from her belt. She stared at it. When I am done scattering these coins, I'm going to kill myself. It's justice, after what I did. Without realizing what she was doing, she drew the knife across her arm, drawing a deep cut. Blood flowed freely from it, running down her hand, dripping into the stream.

Bobby, thought Sheila as threw another coin into the stream. Blood followed it, swirling in the water. Eric, then a splash. She paused then, looking at the cut on her arm. She needed to stop. To not do this. No, too late to stop. She had to do this. Then she cut herself again, deeper this time. She was crying even harder now.

Diana, and another splash. Presto, and again she dropped a coin. Splash. Uni . . . Sheila considered for a long moment and threw that one. Hard! It skipped once before coming down and making ripples. Hank. She couldn't throw that one. It seemed to refuse to leave her hand. She just looked at it.

_I'm going to throw this coin and then I'm going to kill myself. I'll just shove the blade into my heart as hard as I can. It'll be quick and over in a minute. It's what I deserve for killing Devon._

Sheila shut her eyes tight and threw the coin . . .

_To Be Continued . . ._


	4. Evil's Web Begins

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil. You should probably be warned that it is extremely graphic. It is definitely rated M for mature.

Disclaimer: I don't own the _Dungeons and Dragons_ cartoon. All characters and events depicted herein are used without permission.

Author's Notes: The name of the town Baldur comes from the video game Baldur's Gate. It had a D&DC reference in it, so I referenced it back.

Thanks: Thanks to my beta-reader Rana Kane. She has really helped me with this. Her website, Rana's Realm Lore is awesome! I would also like to thank a band called Seraphim Shock. Rana e-mailed it to me. I just sat here and repeatedly listened to their song Little Gothic again and again and yet again as I wrote this. Thanks guys. What a cool song.

Angels Will Fall

By

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Four

Evil's Web Begins

Venger stood on one of the ramparts of his castle as he watched the suns set. The largest of the quartet led the others as they each fell, one right after the other, below the horizon with the smallest trailing them. The beauty of it was lost on him. He only stood there, contemplating. Much was to be considered and much was at stake. The weapons of power could finally become his. _Now,_ _how best to work this to my advantage?_

Three days before, Shadow Demon had brought him word of the Young Ones. "Master, the Thief has fled from her friends. The Ranger was unfaithful to her, and she ran away from him. Her brother, the Barbarian, and the other fools didn't follow her. She is betrayed and alone, without Dungeon Master or his accursed pupils," his servant had told him in his wheedling voice.

Venger had looked at him, taken back This was good news indeed! Anything that hurt your enemy was. But this . . . This was something great. An opportunity like this was not something that the fates handed out everyday. She was no longer with Dungeon Master's accursed pupils! Sheila The Thief! How he had lusted after her. Now she was alone. If he could have her. If she could be turned. . . .

"Where did this happen?"

"In the village that was once known as Zeb," Shadow Demon replied.

Venger nodded. That made sense. Centuries ago, before the Young Ones had even been born in their own world, let alone had arrived in the Realm, he had laid a spell on several dozen villages. It had taken no small skill to perform. Some of those villages didn't even exist anymore, but many were still there. The village of Zeb, where the Ranger had cheated on Sheila, had been bigger when the spell was laid. The spell would cause malice to some of Dungeon Master's servants. Especially those young and in love. Sowing diffusion amongst your enemies was always a good plan and something he hadn't thought of in a long time. But now, now that plan had come to fruition.

The spell had been perfectly cast. The longer they stayed in one spot, the more horrific the evil before they finally left it. It would plant the seeds of evil, taking away innocence and destroying it. The spell would mushroom slowly at first. Enslaving. Consuming. It would eat away at a person. Finally, it would utterly corrupt them.

"I must have her, Shadow Demon. Dungeon Master will have to come to her first. Once he does, come back to me. Return when he has, but find her and find her now!" Venger's voice boomed and echoed through the hall. Shadow Demon turned and melted back into the shadows from where he had come.

_If Sheila the Thief could be turned._ The thought fluttered invitingly through his mind as the last sun set and darkness descended over the Realm. She would be broken by her loss. An innocent like her depended on others. Without her friends, she would be so . . . vulnerable.

For her to fall to evil would only serve him. Not just her young body, or her weapon of power and her abilities as a thief, but her very soul as well. She would make an extremely powerful servant. More so than any other before her. She would be a tool to be used against Dungeon Master and her former friends. A malevolent smile lit his face as he envisioned the lustful pleasures they would share as he corrupted her. Sheila the Thief, soon to be Sheila the Slave. She was the most fragile of Dungeon Master's pupils. Sex and pain would merely be a beginning.

Her reliance on her friends would be transferred to Venger. It would involve much wizardry and magi craft of such that only he was capable, but in the end, he would possess her. Bodily fluids and blood would be needed as well. It wouldn't matter how much she struggled against him, her transformation to evil would be complete. And when it was done . . . When it was done, Sheila could never be turned against him. Her heart, mind, and soul would be darkened. She would become as evil as he was. She would be his! He smirked as he thought of it. In the end. . . . In the end, he would own her for all time.

Years ago, before the Young Ones had arrived in the Realm, he had laid a curse on several dozen villages. It had taken blood and magic and no small skill to perform. Some of those villages didn't even exist anymore. But many were still there. The particular village, where the Ranger had been unfaithful to Sheila, had been bigger when the spell was first laid. He wasn't sure of all of its affects, but it would cause evil there to some of Dungeon Master's servants. Anything that hurt your enemies was always good. It had been a small thing to do and something he hadn't even thought much of at the time. But now, now that plan had come to fruition.

It would take time and effort to turn her, but once he did . . . once he did, she would be his. Other pupils of Dungeon Master had been turned before. Then he would have a powerful ally - more powerful than Shadow Demon, The Nightmare, the giant Karox, or any other before them. To possess one such as Sheila the Thief. It would be worth so much if he could. He waited for Shadow Demon's return and pondered. Venger shook himself from such thoughts. It would not do to become overly confident. Time, that's what was needed here. _How best to proceed?_

With a thought and a flash of violet light, he was in the North tower. He could do that with ease, anywhere in this, his mightiest of castles, he could be in a heartbeat. It was there that he had the Pool of Chronos. He had acquired it at the same time time as he had acquired the Crystal of Chronos, the one he had used to draw Josef Mueller into the Realm. Venger paused for a minute. That had been such a good idea. It would have allowed such evil to come into the home world of The Young Ones. If it had succeeded . . . He shook his head and made his mind return to the here and now.

It wasn't the most powerful magical object he had. The crystal itself had been more powerful. The pool had its limits. It took a lot of energy to use it so he didn't all that frequently. Besides, the future was always changing and in motion. No one and no thing, no matter how powerful, could predict it entirely. However, it would show the future accurately for a day, sometimes even as little as a few hours.

The dark wizard closed his eyes and began to chant. He could feel power surging from his body and entering the pool. Colors and patterns swirled through the pool. Slowly at first and then faster and faster. Once done he opened his eyes and spoke in a whisper, "Show me what I need to know. Show me the future of Sheila the Thief, she of the Dungeon Master's pupils, not from this world but from another."

The colors in the pool slowed and came together. Sheila was there! He saw her sitting by a small stream, throwing something into it. Then the image broke apart for a few seconds before reforming. Sheila was dead! Her lifeless body lay by the stream, blood flowing down the front of her tunic and running from her mouth! It pooled around her, staining her cape. Her lifeless eyes stared at the sky. Something protruded from her chest, but the image deteriorated before he could see what it was.

No! He couldn't believe it. _How?_ _Who or what had killed her? Show me what I need to_ _see._ The thought radiated from him into the pool. Colors seeped and swirled and started to dissipate. With a word and a gesture, he made it reform. He saw her holding a knife in her hand, considering it. Then she shoved it deeply into her chest. _Suicide?_ Yes, he nodded to himself. The spell he had laid on those villages could drive one to that. It made sense. He relinquished his hold of power on the pool. He could feel the energy draining back from the pool back into him. Even so, some power was lost. With a thought he returned to his main hall. The room seemed to sway around him. He was light-headed. Using a magical object like that always took something out of him. He stumbled to his throne and sat down heavily with a grunt.

After he had rested for a time, he felt better. Where was Shadow Demon? He had to act quickly or else all was lost. He could summon him, but if his servant returned too soon, what good would that do? What to do now? He would have to wait. If Sheila did kill herself, perhaps he could use her death against her friends. Would that work? Maybe. In order to save her, he would have to intervene at exactly the right time.

Finally, Shadow Demon drifted out of the wall and approached him. "Lord Venger, she has killed a man. She runs from it even now." His singsong voice whispered as he genuflected.

Venger looked at Shadow Demon, now entirely surprised. It was the spell affecting her. This must be what would make her kill herself. "What happened? Tell me exactly and leave out no detail, no matter how small."

"He was an evil man. His name was Devon. It was in a town that was once called Baldur. At first, he employed her and pretended to be her friend. The entire time, it was his intent to harm her. He waited until she let her guard down and was comfortable. He tried to rape her, but she stabbed him to death instead. Afterwards, she stole his money and fled. Dungeon Master came to her, but she has forsaken him. Now, the Thief is in the Forbidden Woods. She is alone, without his accursed young ones."

Venger sat forward on his stone perch as he listened. The facts fit nicely. The village where Sheila had killed Devon had had the same spell laid on it. Once his foul minion finished, Venger rose. He stood there for a moment, considering. _The Forbidden Woods, blast!_ It was a place of sorrow. One that was cursed, but not by him. Many had died there by their own hand. What he had seen in the pool had the feel of something that would happen very, very soon. He had to go to her right now. Using his knowledge from the pool of Chronos, he would be able to intervene at exactly the right time.

_'Do you hear me, Sheila? Do you hear me coming for you, Thief? I am your destiny. You will be mine for all time. I will save your life, and then I will own you. You will bring me the other weapons of power. You will kill all of my enemies, including my father. _

Venger turned, walked to the balcony of his throne room and summoned the Nightmare to him. Once it was there, he patted his steed to steady it before mounting. When he did, he could feel power flow from him to it. Then he flew higher and faster and higher still in a mighty rush of wind. Once he was high enough, he turned toward the Forbidden Woods. _Can I get there in time to save her?_ he wondered and drove the Nightmare on even faster.


	5. To Venger

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. It was just my favorite cartoon when I was a kid. As a matter of fact, it still is now that I am an adult.

Thanks: Thanks to my beta-reader Rana Kane. I really can't thank her enough. Well, I could, but it would be longer than my story. I'd also like to thank Wandz for Fade To Black. Not only is it a really cool story, but it recently unlocked a case of writer's block for me.

Angels Will Fall

By

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Five

To Venger 

Venger flew through the sky on his Nightmare, urging the beast to go faster, and faster still. The ground blurred past underneath him. He had to reach her before she killed herself and all was lost. If she was already dead when he got there . . . Venger turned his mind from the thought as the Realm raced by below. The Forbidden Woods lay in the distance.

In a few heartbeats the Forbidden Woods were underneath him. This was a place of sorrow. Even the trees seemed stunted and evil in a way. It was possible to enter it and never be able to find one's way from it, no matter how far they walked. He wheeled the Nightmare over it. It wouldn't be too difficult to find her. As long as Sheila wasn't cloaked, a searching spell would easily locate her. He closed his eyes for a second and performed it under his breath.

She was near, but where? There! She was there. By that small stream. He could see her now. She was on her knees, holding something to her chest. Another spell ensured that she wouldn't see him until he wanted her to. Venger set the Nightmare down, dismounted, and went to her.

* * *

I'm going to throw this coin and then I'm going to kill myself. I'll just shove the blade into my heart as hard as I can. It'll be quick and over in a minute. It's what I deserve for killing Devon.

Sheila shut her eyes tightly and threw the coin. She brought the knife's blade to her chest, right over her heart. It pierced her tunic and dug into her flesh. A single rivulet of blood started to flow down her chest. Her hand trembled, but she had to do this. I'm damned. Damned for killing Devon. Damned to hell for what I'm about to do. On the count of three. One . . . Two . . . Three . . .

A hand clenched her wrist. Dungeon Master again? She opened her eyes and saw Venger reflected in the stream.

Sheila looked at his reflection for one split second. Adrenaline flooded her system. Holy Shit! What the hell do I do now? she thought. Run!

She dropped the knife and wrested her arm from his grip in one movement. Then her hands instinctively flew to the hood of her cloak as she fled. Sheila's legs steered this way and then that way. Ducking and weaving. She had to get away from him! Her legs pumped up and down as hard as they could! Her breath heaved and she saw splotches of light at the corners of her eyes. She ran as long and as hard as she could.

Finally, she could run no more. Her shaking legs were in knots of pain. Exhausted to her core, weary to her very soul, she collapsed against a tree and struggled to quiet the noise of her ragged gasps for breath. She wanted to cough, but dared not allow it. With a hand covering her mouth to suppress the urge, she slowly eased her head around, scanning the forest for her pursuer. Where was he?

"Reveal yourself, Thief!" came Venger's voice in booming reverberation from behind her. She let out the smallest of gasps behind her hand and pressed her back more tightly against the tree.

He can't find me. He can't, he can't, he can't . . .

"I do not come to harm you," he said, now in easy tones. "I know of the Ranger's betrayal. All of your friends have betrayed you. Not just you, but your heart as well. Let me assure you . . . that I shall not do as they have done."

She listened, not knowing what to think of his words. She had never heard him use such a soft tone. Together with his unnatural voice, it made an odd mixture that sent chills through her sweat-soaked body.

"I know also . . . of Devon."

Thoughts of Devon, of the knife, of his blood . . . were like flashes of lightning in her mind. Venger was now just on the other side of the tree. Sheila tensed and held still as she watched him go slowly by her on the Nightmare. She could have reached out and touched him. The Nightmare's tail swished as they went, and she felt the wind from it.

"You fight, you kill, for your survival," he went on. "Devon deserved his death; you do not deserve yours. Do not waste your life now, not when there is much yet for you to do. Consider what I offer. You will not survive alone. And does Dungeon Master offer you his aid? No. He has left you bereft, without means, without direction. I offer you protection, power."

Venger brought his black beast around and turned his head in her direction. She tried to hold her breath, but she still desperately needed air. The Nightmare also turned its face to her and, as though mocking her, snorted loudly and flared its nostrils. "I know you are near, Thief."

Thief! I'm so sick of that name! Against all common sense, she was becoming angry at him. An irrational rage was rising within her. If he calls me "Thief" one more time. . . .

"Come to me. You gain nothing by hiding. Now you are powerless, helpless, friendless. With me, you will never want again. Let me be your vengeance, Thief."

Sheila hesitated before stepping from behind the tree. She gripped the clasp of her cloak and ripped the whole thing away from herself. "Stop calling me 'Thief'!" Venger looked right at her with an expression of surprise on his face that she found satisfying. "Here! You want the cloak? You can have it! Keep it! Do whatever you want with it, I don't care!" She balled it up and threw it at him. Then she stood there and glared at him angrily.

He caught it easily but just held it in his hand for a second. His eyes roamed over it, almost as if he was examining it. Then he tossed it back to her. There was no triumph in his face. "I did not come for your cloak. I came for you."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. Venger had returned her weapon of power to her! What's more, he sounded like he actually meant it! Still . . . "I don't believe you," she hissed.

Then he extended his hand to her and stared at her impassively and continued, "Your cloak is still yours, Th-Sheila. I merely desire that you serve me."

Sheila stood there and stared at him, unsure of what to think. Venger dismounted and moved toward her. When she stepped back, he stopped, raising his hand in a gesture of peace.

Can I run and hide? No, I'm too exhausted. Even with my cloak, he'll catch up to me. Besides where would I run to?

"What do you want! Just go away and leave me alone! I don't want to have anything to do with you. You're evil. I've seen what you do. I hate you more than I hate Dungeon Master! Please, either just kill me and get it over with, or go away!" she yelled at him.

"I will not do that!" He paused, as if regaining control of himself. "What I want is what I have always wanted — to rule the Realm! Let us serve each other . . . and more," Venger purred through his fangs as he extended his hand to her. "I reward loyalty. Come with me, and every pleasure in the Realm will be yours. You will have your revenge on the Ranger and your friends for betraying you. And after, you can rule the Realm by my side, if you desire."

"What happens to my friends if I agree?"

Now it was Venger's turn to stare at her. "They will die, Sheila. All of them, by your hand, and afterwards, . . . afterwards you will bring me their weapons."

Sheila blanched. It felt as if all the blood was draining from her head. The look on his face dared her to try to run and escape. "I can't do that."

"Yes, you can. It is what you desire. Through me, you will have your vengeance."

"What happens to me if I say yes?"

"You will become as I am. You will never return home. You will serve me and He Who Can Not Be Named."

This is madness! Go to him? Be with him? He's evil, isn't he?

Sheila could feel something coming from him to her, but she wasn't sure what it was. It was like something radiated off of him. Something cold. She hadn't been warm since she had left her friends but now she felt so very,very cold. Like she would never be warm again.

She put her hands on her arms and rubbed them to keep away the cold as his words rolled through her mind. It felt as if she were standing on the edge of a very high cliff. A sense of falling pervaded her.

Revenge? To become evil herself? To go that way? Kill her friends? Harm others? She couldn't do that, could she? Was that really what she wanted?

Everything that had happened to her in the last few days came crashing down on her. the reaction to Hank's betrayal burned through her. Him and his half-witted apology. What Eric and her brother had said. Diana and Presto's not wanting to face her. Dungeon Master and his idiotic, grandfatherly advice. Devon, the guilt she felt for killing him. The expression on his face as she had stabbed him. How he had looked when he was dead. It ran through her like a red hot sword slicing into her very being.

"Yes, I'll do it. I'll kill them. I'll kill them, just like I killed Devon. The weapons will be yours," she said, and her eyes narrowed. The answer surprised her as she said it. She knew she meant it. It was only the truth.

Venger leaned to her, putting his face bare inches from hers. "Swear to me," Venger whispered through his fangs.

Sheila looked back at him and saw only evil. She dry swallowed quickly, but said, "I promise to serve you." The words seemed to hang in the air for a moment as if they burned.

"You will have your revenge, Thief."

"Don't call me that. I don't want to be known as that. Not now, not ever again. My name is Sheila."

"Very well, Sheila," he said to her as he swung out his hand for Sheila to join him . "Come to me."

This terrified her more than ever. It was so out of character for him. Trying to hide her fear, she reached out and took his hand. Something flowed into her. Something warm. The next thing she knew, she was sitting on the saddle in front of him. Then the Nightmare lifted off from the ground.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked over the wind.

"To my castle, Sheila."

"What will happen to me there?" Sheila asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"I will not harm you. Not there and not ever. You will be safe. I will show you so many things. The truth of the Realm shall be revealed to you."

The truth of the Realm? What did that mean? Sheila wondered as the ground receded rapidly beneath her. At the same time, the setting suns seemed closer. How could that be? It didn't seem possible. Warmth seemed to flow into her. She hadn't felt warm in days, and when she had said yes to Venger, she had felt even colder. Why was she feeling warm now? Sheila's body nestled deeper into the warmth. Where was it coming from?

Venger steadied her with his arm as the Nightmare dove into a deep turn. It was then that she knew. The warmth came from Venger. It seemed to emanate into her from his very being. The feel of Venger's arm across her chest as he braced her made Sheila feel even warmer. The feel of him holding her was intoxicating. She was warm now. Warm like she could never be cold again.

The Nightmare steadied and started to rise again. The suns had set and it was now dark. The stars that had been so unfamiliar when she first arrived in the Realm shone brightly overhead. They looked nearer somehow. Nearer than she had ever seen them before. She thought she could touch them if she stretched out her hand, but she knew it was an illusion.

Below her was nothing but darkness. From the way the stars suddenly receded, Sheila realized they were nearing the ground again. Suddenly, she could see something ahead. It was a huge castle with a moat and many towers. The ground around it seemed to be moving. Orcs, she decided. There must be thousands of them. How big of an army did Venger command?

The Nightmare landed with a jolt and a blast of air in the courtyard of his castle. Venger dismounted first, then turned and set Sheila on the ground with a mighty swing of his arm. Sheila gazed at him in trepidation. She saw that he wasn't as blue as she first thought, nor did he look evil. He was just a man.

"Welcome to my castle, Sheila. You are with me now. There is so much I will teach you. I will protect you and give you your very heart's desire, whatever that may be."


	6. Blood's Bind

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil.

Thanks: Thanks to my Beta-reader Rana Kane. Not only did she correct this for me, she has good ideas too! I'd also like to thank everyone that read this story. I just hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. I should also state that the idea of Venger using a crystal to bind Sheila to her, comes from Bubble Hentai's story _Second Thoughts_. It isn't really available on the Internet as far as I know, but if anybody wants to read it, message me and I'll send it to you.

Author's Note: I am sorry for the incredibly long gap between updates. I've been busy. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner.

Angels Will Fall

By 

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Six

Blood's Bind

With a surprisingly gentle whiny, the Nightmare rose up and flew away. Sheila watched as it receded into the night sky. Then she turned back to Venger and gazed at him in trepidation. He merely stared at her impassively as his wings fluttered slightly in the breeze. She could feel his eyes roving over her body.

_What is he going to do to me, now? I'm lost aren't I? I am abandoned by everyone. Is he really going to make me kill my fr - them? Yes, yes he is._

Finally, his ,eyes reached hers and locked there. They bored into her soul. Sheila felt herself falling into his eyes. It was like she was standing on the edge of a very high precipice. If she fell, it would take her hours to hit bottom. Suddenly, something shoved her from behind and she really was falling. She could feel the wind rushing past her ears as the ground rushed up to meet her. Then she landed and her body broke apart. In that same instant she was lying there sprawled before Venger, the air knocked out of her, blood trickling from her mouth and nostrils.

_What the hell was that?_

Venger turned and beckoned. Almost instantly one of his servants was there. The old woman knelt before Venger. "Master," she said.

"Show her to the quarters in the north tower. When she has rested and I am ready, I will send for her." With a flourish of his wings, he turned and walked away.

"Come with me, My Lady." The old woman said and helped her stand. She seemed kind. Almost like someone's grandmother. Sheila took the offered hand and staggered to her feet. She turned back to look at Venger but he was already gone.

The woman gave Sheila a handkerchief. Sheila took it and wiped the blood from her face, then spat more blood in it. Pausing to regain her breath, she said, "My name is Sheila. I am not My Lady, just Sheila."

"Come with me then Sheila. My family has served Lord Venger for eight generations. I will take care of you while you are here. I am in charge of all of there servants here. All of your . . . requests should be made to me."

_Is he really that old?_ Sheila thought as she was led through vast rooms filled with ornate furnishings and gorgeous works of art. Stairs came after that. Too many to count. Sheila almost felt that she should ask the old woman if she needed to take a break. Finally, she was led into a vast room. _Football stadiums are smaller than this._ There was a huge bed along the wall and she could see a balcony beyond it. A large bath was in the center of the room, steam rising from the hot water. Two more girls stood by it. Sheila looked at them before turning to her guide, "I can bathe myself. Just give me clean clothes to change into when I'm done."

The old woman nodded and the two other girls followed her from the room. Sighing to herself. Sheila disrobed, leaving her clothes to lay on the floor in a heap. She turned and looked at her Cloak where she had dropped it. _Why did Venger let me keep it? He lusts after the Weapons Of Power. He can't just want me. Can he?_

With a mental shrug Sheila entered the bath willing her body to relax. Her eyes shut and her mind drifted. This was the first time since coming to the Realm that she had actually been able to take a real bath. Unbidden, the image of Devon's dead lifeless body came to her. _I can't, I can't think of him anymore. He tried to hurt me and it was self-defense. It wasn't my fault, dammit! _

With a start she realized that she had said the last part out loud just as the matron came back into the room with a clean change of clothes and food. There was a long awkward pause before the old woman turned around and left. Once she was gone, Sheila exited the bath and devoured the food ravenously before turning to the bed. It was huge and soft. She fell asleep almost immediately.

For the next three days Sheila waited. She was well cared for by the servants, but none of them would look her in the eye. She tried to talk to them but they wouldn't speak to her. She was bored. The balcony was beautiful to sit on and gaze out at the Realm. Still, there was nothing to do. Nothing to do, except wait. After everything that had happened before, it was almost anti-climatic. Finally, Venger's chief servant came for her.

When she did, Sheila was sitting on the balcony, watching the last of the suns slip over the horizon. _What if I just throw myself off? It's what I deserve for killing Devon, isn't it? It has to be at least a half a mile down. I'll be dead, and my . . . companions won't have to die. Hank betrayed me. I loved him and he . . . he . . . What about Bobby? I can't kill my brother can I?_ _I can't do this. I can't, I can't, I can't_ . . . The old women awakened her from such thoughts, "Venger is ready for you Sheila. You are to wear your Cloak."

"I am afraid. I am so very, very afraid of him. I don't want to do this. Is there anyway you can help me escape from here? Please?"

"There is nothing I can do to help you. It would be my life if I helped you to escape. I am sorry, but I serve him."

She hesitated before sucking in a deep breath and getting to her feet. Sheila followed her as they walked and walked. First down the stairs, then through a different part of Venger's castle. As she walked, she passed a huge statue of Venger. It had two horns and there was an almost angelic expression on his face. _What does that mean? _

After walking for what seemed forever, she arrived in what could only be Venger's throne room. The smell of ozone hung in the air. After so long in the Realm, it was a smell she associated with magic that had been used very recently. A fire roared in the hearth. Strange markings were on the floor. Circles and lines everywhere almost like Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was in red. _Is that blood?_ Sheila's mind recoiled at the thought of it. Three torches burned in alcoves along the walls. Looking at them, she realized the lines on the floor connected them before doubling back to a large raised stone dais in the center of the room.

Venger stood before her. He was naked from the waist up. His black hair was tied back in a ponytail. There was an ornate table on the dais. There were things on it, but she couldn't see what they were. There was something different about him, but what? His wings! He didn't have them!

_Should I ask him where they are? No, no I don't dare. _Butterflies flew in Sheila's stomach. _I do not want to do this. I shouldn't have gone with him. Too late now. . . . What do I do now? _Remembering the old servant woman kneeling to Venger, Sheila dropped to her knees. "What is it that you desire of me, Master?"

"Arise. You will not kneel to me Sheila. Nor shall you make any other obedience than to call me Lord Venger. Is that understood?"

"Yes, M- Lord Venger."

"Come to me." Trying hard to not show how afraid she was, Sheila walked to Venger. "Stand there." Venger said and pointed to the dais in the center of of the room. She did as he asked. Now that she was closer to the table she could see what was on it. There was a human skull in the center, a large crystal to the right of it, and a plain dagger on the other side of it. She looked at the dagger for a second before recognizing it.

"Oh my God, that's the knife I used to kill Devon!" The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to think. The skull seemed familiar to her as well, but why?

Venger simply gazed at her. "Hold out your hand," he said imploringly as he picked up the crystal from the table. Sheila did so, looking at him, trying not to show how scared she was. Venger took Sheila's hand in his own and held it with such force that she couldn't have pulled away from him if she dared.

"Your Cloak is still yours Sheila. It will be for always. It was mine once, the same as the other twelve weapons of power were. I am Dungeon Master's son Sheila." At this, she looked at him wide-eyed. _It can't be! Can it?_ "He usurped me from my rightful place as ruler of the Realm. That is why I am as you see me today. He told you that I was evil, and he is correct. I am evil. I already have four of the other weapons, three are lost forever, but you will bring me the other five. And when you do, the Realm shall fall to me." He whispered through his fangs. His breath was hot and smelled like cinnamon when it hit her in the face.

With that he released her hand. Then he cut his hand with the crystal. Sheila watched as blood flowed into it. With one smooth motion Venger leaned forward and cut her face with it, along the right side. A bolt of pain flew through her head. The crystal burned and seemed to hum as it touched her. Blood welled from the wound and seeped into the crystal. It went from white to pink to red in a few seconds. She could feel something in herself draining into it. She collapsed onto the dais in front of him. She felt cold. So very, very cold, as if she would never be warm again.

Venger hauled her roughly to her feet and drew his finger along the cut. It burned and throbbed as he did so. She could feel the cut turning swiftly to scar tissue. Sheila looked at him a single tear running down her face. When it hit the scar, a wisp of steam rose from it. "What did you just do to me?"

"I began to bind myself to you, Thief."

"Don't call me that, I told you before. I don't ever want to be known as that again. My name is Sheila."

"Very well, Sheila." Venger picked up the dagger from the table. "This is the blade with which you fell from grace. The skull is the man you killed, Devon." She must have looked at him questioningly, for he continued saying, "Shadow Demon told me where his grave was. It was a small matter to retrieve both it and the knife." As he spoke, Venger drew the blade across his chest leaving a long bloody gash before placing it back on the table. Then he grabbed her head forcefully and stared directly into her eyes. Sheila stared back into his red-blood eyes as he began again, "Drink from me Sheila. Drink deeply as you can. Do not stop until I tell you. Keep your eyes open when you do. Do it or I will kill you. I will hurt you first too, a lot and slowly. I will hurt you so much that death will come as a release. Do you understand?"

She looked at him. _Oh Lord, what have I done?_ Sheila moved her head fractionally up, then back down. She couldn't move her head more than that with him holding it so tightly.

"Say that you understand. You swore loyalty to me in the Forbidden Woods."

"I - I understand Lord Venger."

Venger took Sheila's head and thrust it to the bloody gash on his chest. Blood flowed into her mouth and she had no choice but to swallow it. She could feel Venger's heart beating through the blood. His blood was coppery, but sweet tasting somehow. Beat followed by beat. Her first impulse was to shut her eyes, but remembered what he had said. She had to keep them open or die. With a surprisingly hard force of will she kept her eyes open. All she could see was Venger's pale blue skin directly in front of her. That and the wound on his chest. It went on and on and still on. Something in her seemed to rise up as Venger's blood spurted into her mouth. It was too much for her to swallow and some of it came out of her mouth and ran down her chin. Finally, at long last, he thrust her head from his chest violently. Sheila fell off the dais landing hard on her side.

Sheila looked up at Venger, as he drew his finger across the cut on his chest. It healed instantly. His blood was in her mouth and on her lips. She ran her tongue over her lips, tasting the blood there. There was a horrible smell in her nostrils, like rotting flesh. Then her body spasmed and went taut. "AAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!" Then it happened again and again. Like a seizure, except worse. A kaleidoscope of images burst excitedly through her head. Her home on Earth, Bobby, going to the amusement park, coming to the Realm, the love she had felt for Hank and his betrayal. Then came Devon. She relived murdering him again. The knife going into his back. Then she stabbed him again. The sound it made as she stabbed him. The blood covering her hands. The gurgling noise coming from his throat as he died and the light faded from his eyes. It seemed to go on forever. Her arms and legs pounded the floor bruising them. She couldn't stop herself. Her body rolled across the floor smearing some of the lines on the floor but instantly they reformed. Venger's voice incredibly distant and far away said, "Take her to her to the North tower until she recovers"

Sheila stared at the ceiling as it went past over her. Was she being carried? No she was lying down. "I . . . What . . . What's h-happening?"

The face of Venger's old servant woman was over her and then far away. "Shhhhhhh Shhheeeiiilllaaaa. Everything will be fine tomorrow."

The room spun around her as she was laid down unceremoniously on the bed. Her boots were removed. "Wait, don't leave me alone . . .", but she was gone. Blackness washed over her.

When Sheila finally awoke, it was day again. Sunlight streamed from through the room. She was sore and bruised from where her body had hit the floor. There was a foul taste in her mouth. The front of her tunic was soaked with Venger's blood. Instinctively, she flipped over to vomit. After several dry heaves and a long spit of drool on the sheets, she realized she wasn't going to bring anything up.

Sheila sat up and swung her legs onto the floor. The world spun slightly and then righted itself. Her Cloak was lying on a chair next to the bed. As she put it on, her hand went to her face and felt the scar there. It no longer hurt. She had to see it. There was mirror on the far side of the room. She walked toward it on unsteady legs. The scar was thin and ran to her nose, about an inch and a half wide. Then shock went through her. No! No, it couldn't be! Her eyes were blood-red! The same as Venger's!_ What did he do to me?_

Suddenly, the doors to the room flew open. Venger was there with a pair of Orc guards. His wings were back. "I have something for you Sheila. Your final act of submission to me." With a nod to the Orc on his right, "Bring her in."

The Orc returned at once leading someone. Sheila looked at the disheveled blond haired young women standing between the two Orcs. Her hands were bound in front of her. Her face was heavily bruised on the one side. Sheila stared at her in confusion. Then recognition flooded through her.

"Kareena!"


	7. Corruption

Thanks: Thanks to my Beta-reader Rana Kane.

Author's Notes:

A) Again, I am sorry for the incredibly long update. I've been busy. I promise to get the next chapter up sooner.

B) Sheila's Sword being called Biter is a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Basically, I imagined said Sword as being similar to Connor MacLeod's sword from Highlander.

Angels Will Fall

By 

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Seven

Corruption

"Kareena!" Sheila continued to stare at her one-time ally in confusion. What was going on? "How did you get here?"

Kareena glanced frantically around the room before turning to Sheila. When she did, her eyes seemed to clear and she spoke through bruise-cut lips. "Sheila, help me! Please! My brother captured me. He took the Ring of the Heart, and with it my powers. I don't know how long ago. I am defenseless against him. A man named Devon helped him do it. I trusted him and he betrayed me to Venger."

"Devon? Wait! I don't understand. How, how do you know him?" Then realization smote her mind. Everything, everything that had happened to her, it was all Venger!

"Silence!" Venger screamed at the top of his lungs. Then he said, "You serve me now. Do not listen to her."

Sheila regarded Venger's stony visage in silence. Rage trickled into her slowly at first, then faster. She screamed angrily, "You set me up! You tricked me didn't you? You did this to me. All of it, Hank's cheating on me. My friend's rejection. Killing Devon! It was all you, wasn't it? Dungeon Master tried to warn me!"

Venger stared at her in stony silence. His tongue darted forward and licked over the right fang. He looked almost . . . nervous? "Of course it was me, Sheila. I placed the curse on the village where the Ranger committed adultery. I led him and your friends to betray you. Devon was my servant. He was what you in your world would call a serial killer. He was an evil man and an asset to me. Losing him was but a small price for you. Not even Shadow Demon knew this. As for Dungeon Master, yes, he warned you, but you didn't listen. None of it matters now."

"The hell it doesn't!" Sheila screamed, "I can go back! I can return to them! I can be Dungeon Master's pupil again! I don't have to do this! I don't have to serve you! It's not too late, is it?"

Venger's regarded her for a moment in silence. Then his voice hissed as he spoke. "Yes, it is. By the spell I placed on you, there is no going back. Dungeon Master would not have you, nor would your friends. Why would they? How can they? You are evil now. The scar on your face binds you to me. Have you not seen it in your eyes? They are red now, same as mine. Same as any other evil being in the Realm."

Sheila realized the truth in his words. There was no going back. Not now, not ever. With that, she turned and fled from him. There was only one way out now. Death. She had almost committed suicide in the Forbidden Woods. It was only Venger's cruel coming that had stopped her. This time she would succeed! Whatever came after that, it didn't matter. She sprinted as hard as she could before vaulting over the balcony. _I'll be out, I'll be free. Just one leap and it will be over. If hell or heaven come after wards, I don't care, but I'm not serving him!_

The second she was over the edge, something stopped her. It was like running into a cement wall, a hard force that simply grabbed her and held her there. Sheila banged her fists against it, but it was no use. She was simply held there like a fly trapped in a spiderweb no matter how much she struggled.

Venger came up behind her and laid his hand on her shoulder. Then he spoke into her ear. "You have sworn loyalty to me, and I have placed my mark on you. You serve me now. Just as you will for the rest of your life. There is no returning to Dungeon Master or your friends." With those words ringing in her head, he grabbed her and threw her roughly to the floor.

Sheila looked up at him through her angry evil red eyes. The scar on her face ached when she spoke, "Just kill me and let me die! I do not want to become like you. I have seen darkness in the Realm and Earth. I know what it is. I can still be good, if I want to."

"No, you cannot. Once you accepted me and partook of my essence, you became evil. Do you not feel it? My blood runs through your veins now. It binds me to you forever. The darkness that is in me is now in you."

Sheila simply stared at him in defeat. She could feel the truth in his words as he spoke. _He is right, I don't just serve him now. I am like him now._

Then Venger continued, "Neither can you die now, Sheila. Not by your own hand anyway. Only I can grant you the release of death. Join me, and I'll grant you what you want. You can rule the Realm by my side. With my accursed fool of a father out of the way and the other weapons of power, all will bow before us."

With that, he hauled her to her feet. Sheila's eyes flicked over to Kareena as he did so. Venger saw it and his expression darkened to rage. He put his face mere inches before her's before he began to speak.

"Do not look at her. She is nothing but a fallen wizard of this world. I have destroyed a dozen like her! You will do as I command in all things. You don't just serve me. You are not just some possession of mine like Shadow Demon or Devon. You serve he Who Can Not Be Named for all time!"

Sheila stared back at him, realizing the truth of his words. The image of Venger holding her head to this chest while he made her drank his blood flew through her mind. _It was that that bound me to him._

With a gesture of his hand Venger motioned the Orc forward. "This is yours now, Sheila. Take it and do as I command." The Orc came closer to her, she could smell the musky rancid stench of the foul creature as he did so. Then it held something forward and looked at her expectantly.

Sheila felt as if she were about to fall again. Just as she had when Venger took her down off the Nightmare. At the last second she pulled herself back from the precipice. "What is it?"

"It is for you, Sheila. Take it. You will not refuse me."

Sheila's trembling hands reached forward but stopped less than an inch from the proffered item. She could feel magic coming from it, similar to her Cloak or the other Weapons, but it was darker some how. "It feels like one of the Weapons of Power. It looks like a sword."

"That is because it is a Sword. It was one of the original Weapons of Power. It is the most powerful Sword in the Realm. It can defeat any other sword. With its scabbard in your possession, even fatal injuries heal in a small time. Where you came from, you would know of it as the sword of Excalibur that belonged to your King Arthur. How it came into my possession is a story I will not tell you. In the Realm it is called Biter by those who forged it. It cannot be unsheathed without drawing blood. Once you have used it to draw blood, it cannot be wielded by another. After you have killed with it, it will fit to your hand and become part of you. You will have mastery over it. However, if you do unsheathe it without drawing blood, it will not just kill you, it will damn you to the inferno for all eternity."

"What do you want me to do with it?" Sheila asked trying to keep the shaking out of her voice.

"You know what I want you to do." Venger stared back at her impassively. There was no emotion to him. He just stood there waiting as the seconds ticked away.

"I don't understand . . . ." Sheila could feel the words coming out of her mouth, but her heart wasn't in them. She knew what Venger wanted, no needed her to do.

Venger looked at her questioningly. Then he spoke again, "Yes, you do. You know what I want you to do. You understood from the moment you saw Kareena."

Sheila's head twitched to the side, as if in disbelief. "Say it, you want me to kill my friend."

"She was never your friend. Kareena used you to break free of the spell you were under and you know it. Now, I want you to take your Sword and kill her. You serve me. Do it. Do it now!"

Sheila felt cold, like she did before when riding the Nightmare with Venger. Not just cold,she was freezing. She almost expected her breath to steam in front of her. _I don't have to do this._ Of it's own accord, her hand reached out and took the Sword from the Orc. When she did, something flicked through her. It changed the cold to heat. It flowed through her warming her. It was like stepping from the deep cold into a heated room. Everything was going to be okay now.

_I'm going to kill Kareena. Venger is right. I serve him now. _

Sheila, turned and walked slowly toward Kareena, still flanked by the two Orcs. When she got there, she paused and with one smooth motion she drew the Sword from it's sheath. It hummed and vibrated as she did so. It was too long and much too heavy for her to handle, with a wrought iron grip. _Is it me, or did the sword get longer when I drew it?_ _Yes, yes it did._ Another thought followed swiftly on top of that. _No, it's my Sword now. _

"Get on your knees. Say your prayers to whatever gods of the Realm you please. I will release you from this life." As she spoke, she pulled the sword back, preparing to strike.

"Sheila you don't have to do this! You don't have to listen to him!" Kareena pleaded, tears were running down her face. "Please! You were my friend once. You saved my life once. I know you! He is evil and you aren't. You don't have to do this! Please!"

Sheila stared at her one-time friend. _I don't have to do this. She was my friend once._ Kareena's words played maddeningly in her head. Then the desire for revenge surged through her and her eyes squinted. _I'm going to do this, I don't care what happens anymore. I don't care about myself, or my friends, or Dungeon Master, or the Realm._

"Yes, yes I do. Venger is right, I serve him now. Besides, you used me to free yourself from your imprisonment, and then you betrayed me, so Fuck You!"

With all her strength, Sheila rammed the Sword deeply into Kareena's stomach with a hard fast jab. She held it there and stared into her face. Kareena's eyes flew open in pain as blood flowed freely from her mouth. She feel to the floor with the sword still impaled in her. Then Sheila swiped the sword through Kareena's side with as much force as she could. Pieces of Kareena's gut came with it. The stench of her bowels letting go reached Sheila's nose.

"Please, please don't . . . don't do this . . ." Kareena screamed shrilly as tiny bubbles of a bloody froth flew from her mouth and into Sheila's face. Still more blood and bits of bile flowed from the stomach wound and ran down her side. Pieces of intestines fell from it and pooled beside her. A thin trickle of blood began to run from Kareena's right ear. "Please, it doesn't have to be this way. You can still turn aside. Just let me live. Please." Kareena begged as blood flowed from her mouth.

Sheila just stared back at her before raising her hand and wiping away Kareena's blood from her face. She took the blade of the sword and held it to Kareena's neck. She stroked it along her throat almost lovingly as her gaze locked with Kareena's one last time.

Sheila's spoke in a perfectly level voice. "I don't have to do this. I don't need to do this. I want to do this. I serve Venger now."

With that, Sheila raised the Sword high over her head and brought it down, cutting off Kareena's head in one swipe. Blood gushed from the wound flowing from the jugular artery. It sprayed over Sheila's entire body, drenching her. She stood there transfixed, staring at what she had just done. The amount of blood flowing from Kareena's beheaded corpse was astonishing.

Once the Sword was through, it shortened and curved. A katana with an ivory handle that fit her hand. It felt like it was perfectly balanced on it. There was writing on the blade and the hilt as well, a language Sheila neither knew or cared to learn.

In the same instant, Kareena's head fell to the floor. Amazingly, her eyes were still open. They looked at her and blinked once and her mouth moved, then her eyes blinked again and slowed then stopped. She was dead! Sheila felt a rush of power unlike anything she had ever known. This is what it feels like to kill someone! To do it for a cause, for a reason. In service to something greater than anything she had ever known. She walked over and picked up Kareena's lifeless head. Then she raised it to her's and her red eyes stared into Kareena's dead ones. _Venger was right, this was my final act of submission to him._

Still holding Kareena's head by it's hair, Sheila turned to Venger and spoke, her voice thick with blood lust and like dirt from the grave, "I serve you now, Venger. I will serve you for all time. Give me what I want. Revenge on the Ranger and my friend's for betraying me. Revenge on Dungeon Master for bringing me here."

"It shall be granted, Sheila. Come with me." With that, Sheila followed Venger out of the room to her destiny.

_To Be Continued . . . ._


	8. The Hunt Begins

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil.

Thanks: Thanks to all of those who read my story. I appreciate it.

Author's Note: Originally, C. Bell wrote a story called Angels Will Fall. I have used a big piece of her story here. Of course, I have her permission to. Once more, sorry for the incredibly long update.

Angels Will Fall

By

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Eight

The Hunt Begins

Or

The Original Angels Will Fall

By 

C. Bell

Venger and Sheila were standing on the top of an incredibly high mountain. Together they stared into the four suns as they set into the orange and gold sky. Sunset was approaching fast, and Sheila smiled as they bathed her in light, as their warmth kissed her pale cheeks. Absently, her hand rose up and touched the scar on her face, the one that he had made when he had bound her to him. When Venger had made her drink his blood and she had killed Kareena.

She turned her head towards Venger and could see that the beauty of the skyline was lost to him. He looked in deep thought as he stood by her side, stock still and staring out at the mountainous landscape spread before them. By Venger's other shoulder, Shadow Demon hovered above ground level, silent and obedient in the presence of his master.

_No, not just his master, but mine as well._ The thought rang through her head. _He tricked me, he led me to this. But at the same time, I want to do this. I want revenge. On Dungeon Master for bringing us here. On H - - _she started to slip out the Sword Venger had given her, Only halfway, but still she could feel it vibrate in her hand. The feeling seemed to rise up and surround her, begging her to pull it fully out, to kill. At the last second she shoved it back inside its sheath. When she did the humming ceased and her thoughts continued._ On The Ranger for not loving me in return as I loved him. On everything we encountered in The Realm. The adventures we had and the good deeds we did? Fuck it! Who cares? Revenge! It's what I want!_

The air felt cold around her and she wrapped her Cloak tightly to herself as she stood on the mountaintop where Venger had brought her just moments ago. _Is my Cloak still mine? Or is it his? He gave it back to me and told me it was mine, but still . . . _Sheila removed her eyes from where they were lingering on Venger's form and followed his gaze, staring ahead.

_No, my Cloak isn't mine. Not anymore. Even though he gave it back to me it still belongs to him now. Just as I do._

But it still felt familiar as she pulled it around the shoulders, fastening it firmly at the neck. Venger had mended the Cloak where it had been torn and bloodied when she killed Devon. Her first kill. _And how many more would come after him?_ He had also removed the dirt from years of travel in the Realm and the material was once again clean and soft, and offered more warmth than the almost-set suns. Sheila hugged herself again, daring to smile again even as darkness fell over the Realm.

"Is something out there?" she asked, her voice was no longer naturally quiet and gentle but lower and more guttural as it echoed across the mountains. She tried to see whatever it was that Venger appeared to sense. He wouldn't have brought her here without reason.

"I've received news that the Ranger is leading your one-time friends into the town just beyond those mountains there. Once more they seek a portal to take them home. I require that you to follow them and lie in wait for the best possible opportunity to present itself. Remember, you may not be a thief anymore but you still have skills." He paused to look at Sheila pointedly as she glared back at him with her now red eyes, just for a moment. Before looking back where he had pointed, silently urging him to continue.

"You want me to try and steal their weapons?" Sheila clarified, looking up at his face through her merciless evil-red eyes.

"I don't just want you to try and steal their weapons. I want you to kill all of them and bring me their weapons. Do not fail me. If you fail I will kill you, but first I will hurt you a lot and slowly before I do so. If you succeed, you will rule the Realm by my side."

Sheila nodded and looked down as she unconsciously raised a hand to her face and traced a finger along her right cheek, still self conscious of her mark. Then she breathed in deeply and spoke, "May I ask you something master?"

Venger stared at her impassively. "This one time, you me ask me what you will and I will answer honestly."

"Just before we stopped you from changing our past and rescued Joseph Muller, you touched me. Once, lightly on the cheek. Is that why this happened?"

"No, this happened because you wanted revenge. Just as I do. You want revenge against your friends. I want revenge against my father."

Sheila looked at him, "Dungeon Master really is your father?"

"Dungeon Master is my father Sheila. I rebelled against him and sided with he who can not be named. I wish to kill him and rule the Realm in his place. With the weapons I will. Go now and succeed if you can. Shadow Demon will accompany you. He will obey you. Oh and one more thing, this is the crystal that I used to bind myself to you. You will know what to do it with it when the time comes. Now go."

Upon that firm and simple order, Sheila turned and walked westward. She took a few steps and glanced over her shoulder. Venger gave a nod of encouragement. Shadow Demon flew just behind her, playing the part of escort perfectly. Sheila would have rather worked alone but she knew that Venger didn't trust her enough. Not yet. Possibly not ever.

"I'm going to do this. I'm going to kill them," she muttered.

"Will you really?" Shadow Demon hissed directly into her hear, the foul creature's tone as mocking as it ever was.

"Yes I will," she said, louder, and with more determination. "I'll kill them all. Even if it's the last thing I ever do. I will show Venger that I am worthy to sit at his side."

Shadow Demon laughed and hovered around her head mockingly. "He underestimates you. He doesn't think that you will be able to do it. He has cause to."

"You can believe that if you like, but you're wrong and I'm going to show you so." Sheila shot back. She wasn't going to take any shit from Venger's pathetic minion. "I've had enough of everyone thinking that I'm weak. Venger said I can't take out my Sword unless I kill someone." Her hand reached for the hilt of her Sword. "Can I kill you with Biter? I think I can."

Shadow Demon cringed as Sheila started pulling out her Sword. She was smiling coldly as she did it and he swiftly retreated. "Master said that I had to do as you say Thief."

"Call me Thief again and I'll do my level best to kill you!" Sheila spat. "The only reason I haven't already is because you're of more use to me alive. You have to do what I tell you, Venger said you had to obey me. Now lets get started," she muttered angrily, and started to walk in the direction of the setting suns.


	9. A Dream Of The Former Thief

Summary: This is a Venger/Sheila story. In it, Sheila falls completely to evil. You should probably be warned that it is extremely graphic. It is definitely rated M for Mature.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon. All characters and events depicted herein are used without permission.

Author's Notes: I based this off of when I had the chicken pox as a kid. Except it was my grandmother who took care of me, and she was the one who appeared on The Price Is Right. Again, I am sorry for the incredibly long updates.

Angels Will Fall

By 

D.B. Cooper

Chapter Nine

A Dream of the Former Thief

Sheila walked for hours, footstep after footstep. Her now red eyes had no problem seeing in the dark. Shadow Demon hovered behind her the entire time. Whenever the foul creature came near the hackles on the back of her neck stood up. _Is this what I allied myself with? _The thought flashed through her mind like quicksilver and was gone.

A slight glow began to come over the horizon and Sheila realized that she wouldn't be able to keep going much longer. Besides it was probably better to attack at night. Suddenly she was tired. More tired than she had been when she ran away from her friends and more tired than she had been when she killed Devon. She had never been so exhausted in her entire life. She yawned and her eyelids flickered.

With a mental sigh, she turned to the loathsome fiend, "Shadow Demon. Where can I find a place to sleep?" Sheila ordered.

The foul creature flitted closer to her and spoke in his hissing sing song voice, "There is a small cavern over that hill." He pointed with one wavery hand.

Sheila turned and started walking toward it. "Good. I'll sleep there while you stand guard."

Shadow demon laughed, "Why should I help you? I know Venger doesn't fully trust you. I'm his servant, not yours." He asked as he flitted closer to her. The odor of brimstone was almost overwhelming.

"Venger told you to and if you don't I'll pull out my Sword and find out if it can kill you. I'll bet I can." Sheila smiled when she said it. It was a hard grin and anyone who saw it wouldn't like it. "Wanna try?"

Shadow Demon turned a shade darker and nodded his acquiescence. "I will do as you command. The same as I would for my master, Lord Venger."

Upon finding the entrance to the cave, Sheila took off her Cloak to use as a pillow and lay down, her hand on the hilt of the Sword. It wasn't a big cave just big enough for her to lie down in. Within a few seconds she was asleep. At first her dreams were ordinary, but then something changed, slowly at first and then faster. It was like being somewhere and a mist enveloping you.

'The Price Is Right with your host Bob Barker . . .' the sound was on again. "Sheila wake up its time to put the calamine lotion on again. Then we can watch the show."

Sheila opened her eyes and saw the kindly old face staring down at her. "Poppi? Where am I? I thought I was someplace else. I'm itchy."

"You're in my house and you have the chicken pox. You're feverish again. I'm taking care of you here so your brother doesn't catch it too. Your parents are at work, but they'll come by to see you tonight." Her grandfather said as he smiled. "I know you're itchy sweetheart but this will help, and while we watch, you can have your lunch. It's tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. That's always good when you're sick."

"Okay." Then came the feel of him smearing lotion all over her body. Sheila's back was the worst, but it was better after that.

He overturned the pink bottle and liquid splashed onto a cloth. "Here let me get your face too, and try not to scratch at it. It might leave scars."

"Thank you Poppi." Sheila's grandpa picked her up and carried her to the couch as the show came on. They sat there, Sheila's nine-year old head on his shoulder. Warmth feed into her just as it had when she had ridden the Nightmare with Venger. On the television Johnny Olson was introducing the contestants, 'Will Sasha Williams come on down . . .' "Tell me the story again Poppi, about how you were on TV."

"Okay," Poppi paused and took a bite of his sandwich. "When your grandmother was still alive we went to California to see your Aunt Connie and Uncle Bob. While we were there, a man approached us and asked us if we would like to attend a showing of The Price Is Right. It was your grandmother's thing more than mine. She loved the show to the point where I used to tease her that she had a crush on Bob Barker. She was so excited to be a part of the audience. Of course, I was the one to be chosen to go and play. I had to guess the prices of an item. I just looked at your grandmother in the audience and she told me the correct amount. Then I got to play Plinko. I won three thousand dollars and a brand new motor home on the final part. I couldn't drive it because I didn't have the right type of driver's license. Besides, we didn't really need the RV so I gave it to the church. They still have it and use it."

"I love that story Poppi," Sheila said as the first contestant correctly guessed the price of a desk. "I never get tired of hearing it. How much longer do I have to stay with you?"

"Another three days, maybe a little more. Once the scabs go away, you won't be contagious anymore." Sheila's grandfather paused groping for words. "You know I love you don't you?"

"Yes of course Poppi, I love you too." She said without a second thought. On the television the contestant had started playing Barker's bargain bar.

"May I ask you something Sheila? I need an honest answer." Her grandfather inquired.

Sheila looked at her grandfather questioningly, "Of course Poppi, you can ask me anything? I'll answer honestly."

He leaned over and spoke to her quietly, "You promise to answer honestly?" Sheila nodded solemnly before her grandfather said, "What are you doing?"

Sheila stared back at him confused, "What do you mean?" Her left hand reached up and stroked the top of his head and something made her pull back, if only slightly.

"You are going to evil. This is something I never wanted for you." Her grandfather spoke sadly, a single tear running down his face. "What are you going to do? Kill your brother and your friends? You can't do this my child. I didn't raise you to do this. It isn't the right thing to do."

Sheila stared back at him. _How can this be happening? My grandfather is dead! He died before we came to the Realm._ Caution grew in her mind, "I know that Poppi, but I have to. My friends betrayed me, I killed someone, and this is all there is for me now. I've done a wrong thing haven't I?"

Shaking his head sadly, her grandfather continued, "Yes you have my child. You can't do this Sheila. You just can't. You have to go back to your friends. Back to doing what is right. The Realm needs you. Do you understand?"

"I understand and this is what you want from me. I know you wouldn't have approved and that this is a wrong thing to do." Sheila paused for a minute, "But there's just one problem with all of this. My grandfather wasn't bald. Was he Dungeon Master?"

With that Sheila drew back from the form that was her beloved grandfather. She reached for her Sword Biter her hand puncturing the dream as she did and thrust it directly into her grandfather. The old man screamed in pain and his face contorted as blood flew everywhere, on the couch, on the floor, and even on the television where the contestants were guessing the price of a desk. The dream turned fuzzy at the edges.

She twisted the Sword a quarter way and her grandfather got bigger before collapsing into his true shape. Dungeon Master stood before her, Sheila's Sword through his chest almost up to its hilt. Sheila twisted the sword a quarter way, hearing it scrape along his ribs as she did. The dream exploded into fragments and she was back in the cave holding her sword plunged all the way into him.

There was blood on the Sword and her from the spray. Dungeon Master lay sprawled at her feet. She had pierced his heart and he had only minutes to live. Sheila twisted her Sword some more and she was gratified to hear bones breaking. A little turn of her wrist and it was almost back into its original position from where she had stuck it in.

The old man looked up at her, "Oh no, Sheila. What have you done?" Sorrow and pain was in his eyes and his voice. Tears ran down his face as he spoke, "You have destroyed the balance of the Realm! Everything will fall without me."

Sheila crouched down and put her face directly into his. A predatory smile on her face, "I did what anyone would do when you try to trick them. Venger told me the truth. He's your son and you brought us here to act as a counterweight for your mistakes. Now I've killed you, just like I'm going to kill the others. I'm going to do Hank first and then I'm going to kill the others one at a time. I'll kill that stupid little unicorn and make Bobby watch before I kill him too. Venger will thank me for bringing him her horn as well as the other weapons of power."

"Sheila . . . don't do . . . do this . . ." Dungeon Master said with his last gasping breath.

Sheila started to laugh, her crimson eyes staring directly into his cold dead ones. "Too late, you were right, my grandfather wouldn't have wanted me to do this. But I'm going to anyway. No matter what the cost, no matter what happens. I'm damned." With that she wrenched her Sword out of him. Then she walked out of the cave and went to her destiny.


End file.
